Winds of Change
by Triad Grapha
Summary: After losing in the final round of the Lily Of the Valley Conference to Paul, Ash's friends forsake and shun him, choosing to follow Paul instead. Ash then decides to head to the Unova region after hearing about it from Professor Oak, and will find new friends, a new rival, and quite possibly love. He returns to Kanto two years later, in order to show the fruits of his labor.
1. Revelation

**Hello there everyone. I decided to start writing a Pokemon fanfiction because I've been reading a lot lately and decided to try my hand at it. Anyways I will try to update every week or every two weeks, depending on the amount of schoolwork I have and the amount of laziness and procrastination I can overcome. Feel free to leave suggestions and the like, because I'm writing this for not only me, but for your entertainment. Constructive criticism is welcome as long as it's not bashing or flaming me and my work.  
**

**So here's chapter 1 of the story.  
**

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**Chapter 1: Revelation**

It was a day unlike any other. It was the final battle of the Lily of the Valley Conference. Ash had taken the Conference by storm, effortlessly beating the competition, including the ever-spastic Barry. All that stood in Ash's way in the next step of becoming a Pokémon Master was his bitter rival Paul. Paul was a young man, about a year older than Ash. He had mid-length purple hair, purple eye-brows, and wore a turquoise shirt covered by a blue and purple jacket, with gray pants and blue, purple and white sneakers. Perhaps his most distinguishing characteristic was the ever-lasting scowl on his face. It was like the guy had a perpetual stick up his ass or something.

Anyway, this battle would be the battle to end their bitter rivalry. Paul had beaten Ash in their previous encounters, but that would never discourage our hero. No, it would just be the drive he needed to be in the Conference anyway. Both of these boys were waiting for the day to come where their ideals would clash, the winner proving his ideal was superior. Of course this is what Paul was thinking when coming into this match. All Ash cared about was realizing his goal, and overcoming his opposition.

The battle commenced, Paul leading the match with Aggron, while Ash lead with Buizel. Paul had the misfortune of underestimating Ash's Buizel as it completely overpowered the metal giant. This was a mistake Paul would soon learn from, as he called his Drapion to the field. The poison ogre quickly and effortlessly dominated the water weasel, knocking it out with a combination of Poison Fang and Cross Poison. This didn't deter Ash though as he called out his Gliscor. Gliscor may have had the speed advantage, but Drapion outclassed it in power. Despite being as powerful as it was, the poison ogre was defeated by the sand bat, using an X-Scissor that was powered up significantly by Giga Impact. Paul answered back by calling for his Froslass. Despite putting up its best effort, Gliscor soon fell to the icy apparition. This didn't deter Ash as he called out Staraptor. Despite having the type advantage, Paul's Froslass was overpowered by the bird of prey.

Soon Paul called the Pokémon that would end it all. He called for his Ursaring, one of his strongest Pokémon. As quickly as it hit the field, it had defeated Ash's Staraptor. Ash then called for his ace, the ever-present Pikachu. The two seemed evenly matched, matching Hammer Arm with Iron Tail and Focus Blast with Thunderbolt. Then, it happened. Pikachu manage to hit Ursaring dead-on with a Volt Tackle, which ended up paralyzing Ursaring. But it also activated Ursaring's Guts ability, significantly raising Ursaring's attack. Ash wasn't too worried, though. He would just hurry and defeat Ursaring with a final Iron Tail. It seemed like a good plan, but Paul had other thoughts. He called for his Ursaring to use Façade, shocking everyone who had seen the Pokémon before. You see, Paul taught Ursaring Façade just before his battle with Ash, seemingly knowing that Ursaring would either get burned or paralyzed. Try as Pikachu might, his Iron Tail was no match for Façade, eventually being knocked out by the angry grizzly.

The rest of Ash's Pokémon soon met the same fate as Infernape and Torterra both succumbed to the power of the grizzly's Façade. The match was over and Ash lost. The crowd was in total shock. It looked like Ash was going to win and then move on to face the Elite Four. He was even favored to beat them and give Cynthia a good challenge for her position. But no one would expect Paul, who treated his Pokémon like tools and weapons, to win. The lost hit Ash the hardest. As he sunk down to his hands and knees, on the verge of tears he thought of their last battle at Lake Acuity. He was so hopelessly outclassed back then and had hoped to finally attain his goal at the Lily of the Valley Conference. But once again he came up short. Lost deep in thought, Paul took the opportunity to further break Ash's confidence.

"Hmph. That was pathetic Ketchum. You're pathetic and your Pokémon are pathetic. You'll never be a Pokémon Master, and you know why? Because, no matter where you go, I'll always be there to make you fall. You better remember that too Ketchum. Goodbye loser." Paul said, his words piercing Ash's mind like daggers.

Normally our hero would quickly come back at Paul with a rebuttal, but he was just too broken. So broken that he just got up and left Lily of the Valley Island for Pallet Town back in Kanto alone, with only his thoughts and his Pokémon to keep him company. Speaking of them, they were just as depressed as Ash, feeling as though they failed their master and friend, though they all gave their best. Ash would continue to be in this slump for a month, not coming out of his room unless to use the bathroom or to run errands for his mother. Speaking of her, she tried desperately to get her beloved son out of his slump. And it was working, slowly but surely.

_**Three Months Later… **_

Ash and his Pokémon were in the backyard of the Ketchum home, playing and training. It would seem that our hero was out of his depression, returning to the confident, outspoken, rash, dense young man we all came to love. He would learn from his mistakes, training every day to make sure that his Pokémon were at their greatest potential. This resulted in all of his un-evolved Pokémon evolving. The tiny Bulbasaur became the mighty Venusaur, Quilava becoming the powerful Typhlosion, Tododile into the great Feraligatr, Bayleef into Meganium, Corphish into Crawdaunt, Buizel into Floatzel and finally Gible into Garchomp. Surprisingly Delia was out there with him, as she also decided to become a Pokémon trainer, but never really caring to become a master. She was out there playing and training with her own Pokémon. Besides the ever-faithful Mr. Mime Mimey, she also had an Eevee, a Chimchar and a Pidgey. For only being a trainer for three months, she was making great progress with her Pokémon, Mimey easily being her powerhouse, much like Ash's Pikachu.

As mother and son were playing with their Pokémon, a knock at the door was heard. Not wanting her son to be distracted, Delia quickly got up, dusted herself off and ran to the front door and opened it.

"Hello Ms. Ketchum! How are you?" asked Misty with a huge smile on her face

"Why hello there Misty!" Delia exclaimed with an infectious smile on her face. "I see you have your friends with you. Did you need Ash for something?"

"Actually yes, we need to talk to him about something important" answered Misty

"Okay then. He's in the backyard playing with our Pokémon" replied Delia

"'Our' Pokémon? As in yours and his?" Misty ask, with a confused look on her face

"Of course! I decided to become a Pokémon trainer myself recently."

"Cool! It must be nice being able to bond with Ash on another level."

"It is. Now follow me to the backyard. I'll bet he'll be glad to see you guys!"

Misty just chuckled nervously. 'Not with the news we have to tell him' thought the red-headed trainer

Delia lead Misty, Brock, Gary, Tracey, May, Drew, Max, Dawn, Kenny and… Paul? Why the hell is he there with them? Anyway, she led them to the backyard to where Ash was. He was currently stuck in a bear hug with Snorlax, after Ash complimented him on his powerful Ice Punch.

"Aww come on Snorlax I love you too but you're hurting me!" Ash managed to spit out.

Realizing his master's distress, Snorlax quickly released Ash, rubbing the back of his head while giggling sheepishly.

"Hey! Ash! How are you?" Asked Brock with a grin on his face

Ash turned around to see all of his friends. "Hey guys! How are—"Ash started with his signature grin on his face, which then faded quickly to an angry frown. "Why the fuck is Paul here?!" asked and angry Ash

"Well Ash, that's the reason we're here." Misty started "We were all talking and we decided that…"Misty's voice trailed off at the point

"Decided what? And what does it have to do with that bastard over there?" Ash demanded, getting angrier by the second

No one wanted to break the news to Ash, while he just stood there getting angrier.

"Well? Is nobody gonna speak up here?!" Ash asked, his anger near its peak

"Fine I'll do it. We decided that you're a loser and need to give up your dream to become a Pokémon Master. Face it, you're just not cut out for it" replied Gary, the young professor

To say that Ash was shocked and angry would be the understatement of the century. Try outraged, incessant, pissed off to the fullest. He made a Gyarados look like it was having a nice day the way he was mad. How could his friends, who he loved and cherished just up and abandon him? And as if to kick him while he was down:

"Ash, you're nothing but a pathetic rookie. I used to look up to you as an idol, but now I have a new idol and it's Paul!" sharply replied Max

Paul. It all came back to Paul, who's been a thorn in Ash's side since the beginning of his Sinnoh Journey. As if it wasn't enough to beat him at Lily of the Valley, he had taken Ash's friends too.

"…How long have you guys felt this way?" asked Ash, looking down at the ground, shaking with anger but managing to respond as calmly as he could

"About a month after your loss to Paul" replied Dawn, shrugging her shoulders

Now Ash could somehow in some crazy way understand why May, Max, Drew, Dawn and Kenny would feel this way. They were young and could easily be swayed, especially Max, being 8 at the time. But what made him really pissed was that Misty, Tracey, Gary and even Brock could side with Paul. Especially Brock, who was like the brother he never had, who's been with Ash on his journeys since the beginning. All the while, Paul stood there with a smug smirk on his face, enjoying seeing Ash break down again. Delia, on the other hand, stood there just as angry as Ash was. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. She couldn't fathom how his friends would do this to her beloved son. She even treated them like her own children, but now she was disgusted. She was just about to snap at the children, but Ash beat her to the punch.

"I can't believe this…I treated you all with love and respect and this is what I get. I FUCKING RISKED MY LIFE FOR ALL OF YOU, TIME AND AGAIN AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! BY BETRAYING ME FOR THAT SON OF A BITCH PAUL?! WELL YOU GUYS CAN GO FUCK YOURSELVES! I NEVER WANNA SEE YOUR FACES AGAIN!" Ash snapped back. No snapped isn't the word for his outburst. He made like an Electrode and exploded (Bad joke I know), then made a mad dash for his room.

If Ash was outraged, then his Pokémon were superpissed. You would need to make up a new word for how mad they were. Even the peaceful Venusaur was teeming with anger. They were about release all of their power on their master's former friends, but fortunately for the kids, Delia decided to spare them, deeming the kids unworthy of facing Ash's Pokémon.

"Dears they're not worth the hassle!" said Delia, calming down the Pokémon. "I'll take care of them, don't worry about them"

With the Pokémon calmed down, Delia turned her attention to the group of kids in front of her. Now, normally Delia is a kind, loving woman who didn't seem to have an angry bone in her body. But mess with her son, and you would definitely see it. But even if absolutely furious, she kept her composure.

"…I suggest you disgusting children leave my house at once before I or the Pokémon lose their temper…I was able to calm them down once, but I won't be able to a second time." said Delia, with anger written all over her face.

Meanwhile, the kids just stood there, frozen in fear. They couldn't believe what they saw or heard. But they can't say a thing, seeing as they brought this upon themselves. When Delia saw that they were budging, she immediately lost her cool.

"Let me put this in words you can understand. Get. The. Fuck. Out of. My house. NOW! DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF." Delia roared.

Boy did she snap. But she knew the kids deserved it, even though she thought she could have used better language. She was never one to curse, but she thought it was appropriate for the situation at hand.

You would think that the children would get it by now, but nope. They still stood there in their fearful stupor. Delia was definitely tired of this bullshit.

"Alright then, maybe pain will make you fools get out of her. Garchomp! Use Hyper Beam on these fools and send them packing!"

Garchomp nodded, roared and angry roar and powered up a powerful Hyper Beam. Just as it was about to release the Hyper Beam, the kids finally snapped out of their stupor and maid a mad dash for their respective homes and residence. A wave of relief came down on Delia as she watched the fleeing kids and was able to calm down some. But quickly her attention turned to her son, who needed her now more than ever.

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**And that's the end of chapter one. I hope you guys enjoyed it and remember please rate and review. It will help a lot. And like I said before I'm always looking for suggestions as it will help improve the quality of the story.**

**Also as a side note: I'm looking for a different name for this as I couldn't come up with one so I just winged it with Wind of Change.  
**

**Anyways, see you guys next time on Winds of Change.  
**


	2. Renewed Resolve

**Hey guys! Here is Chapter 2! I know it's not as long as the first chapter, but I really didn't want to put too much into this chapter as I just wanted to introduce Unova to the plot and show Ash's response to his abandonment. Also, I really don't think this chapter is as good as the last chapter, but I tried my best. So anyway, review, rate, favorite and all that good stuff.**

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**Chapter 2: Renewed Resolve**

Hatred, anger and regret. These powerful emotions were currently spreading through Ash like a wild fire. Never before had he been hurt in his life. As Ash stormed up to his room, he thought about all of his travels thus far. Then it hit him like a Brick Break to the jaw. The ones he called friends weren't really friendly after all. He thought of Gary's constant belittling, Misty's constant bitchfits about absolutely nothing, Dawn and May's incessant nagging and Brock's extremely passive nature to all of these happenings. Now, it wasn't like Ash was totally blameless. Sure, he knew he was dense and oblivious at times, but surely it couldn't warrant the extreme behavior of these people. As he mused over these things, he was getting even madder than before, angrier than his Snorlax was when Harrison's Hypno used Dream Eater on it at the Silver Conference.

As Ash entered his room, he started to look for two items. Two items that were once precious to him, but now, they were only a stigma, a reminder of those he now hated. After a minute or two of searching, he finally found them: his half of the Terracotta Contest Ribbon and Misty's special lure. Without a second thought, he carelessly tosses the ribbon in the trash and then breaks Misty's special lure before discarding it.

'_Hmph. Good riddance. No more reminders of those bastards_' thought the angry trainer

While in his thoughts, Delia came running up the stairs to Ash's room. As soon as she found Ash she embraced him in a loving hug. Ash couldn't help but burst into a quiet sob, while gently embracing his mother's love.

"Oh Ash, don't you worry about them anymore. I love you and I'll always love you. To me and Pikachu, you're always a winner no matter what" assured Delia in a gentle voice.

"I-I-I j-just don't know w-w-what I did to deserve there hate. I only ever loved them and trusted them. I know I wasn't perfect, but I tried to be the best friend to them. But I guess it wasn't enough" said Ash, while letting out a sad sigh.

Delia pulled back from the hug. "It doesn't matter what they think. O know that you were the best friend to them and if they couldn't stand by you in your time of need, then it's there lost because they just lost an amazing young man and the best son a mother could ask for" Delia reassured Ash.

At this, Pikachu came dashing into the room, jumped right into the arms of his best friend and nuzzled his cheeks against Ash's.

"Pi pika Pikapi chu pika Pikachu! (Don't worry Ash; you have all that you need in this house: a mother who loves you, Pokémon who trust you and will be there for you and me, your best friend. You're the best friend anyone could ask for, and I would never replace you!) Pikachu squeaked.

At this, Ash couldn't help but hug the electric mouse tightly. His spirits seemed to be coming back and soon he would be back to normal. His mother joined the two for another hug, and the loving family stood there together, enjoying the love emanating from each other.

"Now, how about I make your favorite foods for dinner?" Delia asked with her infectious smile.

"ALL RIGHT! Thanks Mom! You're the best" Ash exclaimed with his trademark grin on his face.

"PIKA! (Awesome!)" Pikachu exclaimed with his fist in the air.

"Anything for my son" said Delia as she was leaving.

_**Two hours later…**_

"Ahh. Mom, did I ever mention how delicious your food is?" Ash said with a satisfied look on his face while rubbing his over-inflated stomach.

"Oh stop it Ashy, you making me blush!" said Delia, with a slight tinge of red on her cheeks.

Ring Ring Ring! Ring Ring Ring! Phone Call! Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring! Ring Ring Ring! Phone Call! Phone Call!

"Don't worry Mom I'll get it!" Ash said as he dashed for the video phone.

When Ash answers the phone, he is greeted by none other than Professor Oak. This was a surprise, because he usually only called about Ash's Pokémon or another Pokémon League.

"Hey Professor Oak! It's been a while!" Ash said

"Hello there Ash. You're just the person I wanted to talk to." replied Oak.

"What's up? Is there something wrong?" Ash asked.

"Oh no. I just wanted to tell you about the Pokémon League in the Unova region. It's starting up again this year" replied Oak.

"Unova? Why does that sound familiar?" Ash inquired.

"Well maybe because the champion Alder retained his title for 10 years with no challenger ever coming close to beating him" replied Oak.

"Oh yeah now I remember! I heard that he might be even stronger than Cynthia! Anyway, you said the Unova League was starting again this year?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you wanted to go to Unova and participate this year. The region is famous for its unique situation. You see, the Pokémon in Unova can only be found in Unova, not anywhere else. Also, no Pokémon from the other four regions can be found there either."

At this, Ash's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. He couldn't believe that there are new, unique Pokémon native to Unova. Being the Pokémon Master in Training he is, Ash knew he couldn't pass up this opportunity to catch new Pokémon and possibly becoming a Pokémon Master. With his famous burning passion, Ash gladly accepts this offer.

"Oh you bet Professor Oak! This time for sure! I'll definitely win, beat Alder and become a Pokémon Master!" Ash exclaimed with passion, determination and desire in his eyes.

"Now there's the Ash I know! I'm glad that you accepted this offer. Now the next plane to Unova will leave next Wednesday. So be prepared for then and I'll see you then."

"Okay, later Professor Oak!" Ash said as they simultaneously ended the call.

"Mom, Pikachu! I'm going to the Unova region next week!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's great Ash! Now, I want you to remember to work hard and try your best. Win or lose, it doesn't matter as long as you had fun and gave it your all. Remember, you'll always be a winner to me" advised Delia with her infectious smile.

"Don't worry Mom, I'm gonna win this time and make you proud" exclaimed Ash.

The fire has finally returned to our young hero. With a renewed resolve, he awaits the fateful day when he arrives to Unova, ready to take the region by storm.

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**This ends Chapter 2 of Winds of Change. I think the next two or three chapters will cover Ash's adventures in Unova, Team Plasma, his first and last battle with Trip, and his champion battle against Alder. Oh I also plan on adding Ash vs N, similar to the final N battle in Black and White just because. I don't plan on spending too much time on Unova, as the plot is not really based there but on what happens two years after his journey. And don't worry, I plan on introducing Georgia in the next chapter and let's just say she'll be like a female Ash in this story. Then again, she kind of is in the anime.**


	3. Departure

**What goes on people! Your boy is back from a 9 month hiatus coming at you with Chapter 3 of Winds of Change!**

**I'm really sorry for the delay. I've been busy for school for the past few months and during the breaks, I've had extreme writer's block. That caused me to start writing down ideas for a Naruto story. That won't be for awhile though. But the people have spoken. You wanted the next chapter, so you got it.**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon is not owned by me. If it was, well I wouldn't be writing this now would I?**

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**Chapter 3: Departure  
**

Six days passed like a breeze for the Ketchum family and Pallet Town in general. During this time, a few interesting events happened. While Ash was training his mother's Chimchar with his Torkoal, she evolved into Monferno and learned Mach Puch and Low Kick, which helped her come close to beating Torkoal, but she still came up short. Even though she lost, she showed that she was a born fighter and had potential to be strong.

Next, while Ash, Delia and their Pokémon were having a picnic by the lake of Oak's Ranch, a Zangoose that was abandoned by its previous trainer was causing mischief for them and the other Pokémon. After an hour long wild goose chase, the Zangoose was finally cornered and Delia decided to add him to her team so he didn't have to cause trouble anymore, which the Zangoose easily agreed. After a long battle against Mimey, where he learned Focus Blast, Zangoose was officially caught. As it turned out, Zangoose was a big softie under his tough exterior, as shown when Delia was grooming him after the battle.

Finally, a few things happened when Ash decided to go to Celadon City for supplies for his journey. While in the skies over the Viridian Forest, the flock of Spearow that attacked him at the start of his journey decided that they wanted revenge and decided to accost Ash and Staraptor. As Pikachu was about to shock them into oblivion, another shriek announced the presence of a flock of Pidgeot, led by Ash's Pidgeot. After he scared the Spearow away and had a tearful reunion, Pidgeot decided to join Ash on his journey to Unova.

After getting the necessary supplies from Celadon, Ash decided to call upon two more of his old Pokémon, Squirtle and Primeape. After calling Anthony and Officer Jenny and receiving Blastoise (Squirtle had evolved and long since left the Squirtle Squad) and Primeape, Ash decided to check on his old friend Haunter at Saffron City. After a reunion filled with pranks and a rematch against Sabrina, where Infernape narrowly won against Sabrina's Alakazam, Haunter wanted to travel with Ash, if only to play more pranks. When Sabrina learned of this, she merely smiled, and released Haunter into Ash's possession.

Since then, Haunter proved he was just as good in battle as he was in playing pranks, taking down Infernape and Pikachu in mock battles, but then was tdefeated the next day by Sceptile, which sparked a rivalry between the two. The two then decided to work on moves super-effective against each other, with Sceptile learning Night Slash, Crunch and Pursuit, while Haunter learned Sludge Bomb, Fire Punch and Ice Punch.

These events and more lead up to Tuesday, the day before he was to leave for Unova. Today was supposed to be a simple day for Ash: spend half of the day with his Pokémon, and then the rest with Delia and Pikachu. Earlier in the day when Ash was deciding on which Pokémon to take with him, Professor Oak called and informed him that because of his amazing track record, he could have up to 10 Pokémon on hand at any time, but could only choose six for a battle. This would help him greatly because more of his older Pokémon would be able to help train his Unova Pokémon. So now, having made up his mind, Ash whistled quite loudly to get his Pokémon's attention. In no time, they surrounded him in a semi-circle.

"Alright guys, I've decided on which of you guys will initially come with Pikachu and me to Unova" Ash said to his companions.

Here, he paused because this announcement was usually met with groans of disappointment. But surprisingly, his Pokémon went silent, waiting for him to continue. It seems that they have matured as much as he has in these past months. Shaking out of his musing, Ash continued.

"Since I can now carry 10 Pokémon, and I want to catch a full Unova team, I can only carry three of you guys and Pikachu. Therefore, I decided to take Haunter, Glalie, and Gliscor as I feel that they could use some more work. As I continue through Unova I will switch you guys in and out. Hopefully, I can use all of you at least once for the Unova Conference" Ash finished.

As he finished, Ash expected to see most of his Pokémon sad or disappointed. But to his slight surprise, he saw them have determined expressions on their faces, especially Haunter, Glalie and Gliscor.

"Alright guys, we have a few hours until I have to meet up with my mother so let's have some fun!" At this, all his Pokémon gave cries of content.

**_Later in the Day_**

After spending a fun-filled afternoon with Delia involving drawing and a lot of food, Ash decided to call an early night so he could get an early start for his big day tomorrow. He was particularly curious about the "surprise" Delia said she had for him when he was ready to leave. She was unusually tight-lipped about it, but he figured he would just find out in the morning.

"Hey Pikachu, you ready for tomorrow buddy?" Ash asked his companion.

"_Heh. You bet! It's gonna be soo exciting!_" replied Pikachu.

"Yep that's right! Alright, good night buddy." Said Ash.

"_Good night Ash_." Replied Pikachu, as our hero and his companion fall into a sleep full of dreams of the future.

**_The Next Morning_**

The morning couldn't come fast enough for Ash and his Pokémon. After getting a shocking wake-up call courtesy of Delia's Zangoose, and a filling last breakfast, Ash was ready to go. He quickly went up to his room to put on his new traveling clothes: a black, slightly padded vest with multiple supply pockets, white snug fit V-neck tee-shirt, black straight jeans, black and white high-top sneakers and a black and white cap with a PokeBall symbol on the front. Ash checked himself over once to make sure he was all ready to go. With that he heads down the starts to say goodbye to Delia and get her "surprise".

"Well Ash, do you have everything together? Did you remember to pack the essentials and extra under-" Delia starts, but was swiftly cut-off by Ash.

"MOM! I'm 14; I'm pretty sure that I packed extra underwear!" interrupted an embarrassed Ash.

"What? I just want to make sure my Ashy is full prepared!" replied Delia with a cheeky grin. Ash face-palmed then groaned.

"Okay, now, this is the surprise that I was talking about" said Delia as she pulled out a small book-sized package.

Ash took a look at the package and choked on the air he was breathing. Instead of being Delia like he expected, it was from one Charles Ketchum, his father. This was a big shocker to Ash; he hadn't heard from his father in five years. Ash always wondered where he was, what he was doing, hell was he still even alive. Receiving this package from him at least let Ash know that he was alive and still cared for him somewhat. Opening the package, it contained a shrunken Poke Ball in which the top half was black and had two solid vertical yellow lines, otherwise known as an Ultra Ball. Next to the Ultra Ball was a letter addressed to him from his father.

_Dear Ash,_

_How are you son? I hope you and Delia are well and that you're taking good care of your mother for me. I wish that I could come home soon, but being a Pokémon G-Man requires me being away from home for long periods of time. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you and your mother. I know that I missed a lot of important events in your life and again I am so sorry. Hopefully within the next couple of years the Pokémon G-Men won't need me anymore and I could finally come home to be with you guys. Arceus knows I definitely miss your mother's cooking because the food here tastes like Rapidash-shit. _

_Anyways, I've been hearing your name in the Pokémon League circuit and I must say that I'm extremely proud of you. I was able to watch your battles during the Lily of the Valley Conference and I must say you do your parents proud. I know that when I was your age I couldn't have hoped to have been the runner-up in a League Conference. Speaking of your final's battle, I also heard that Paul brat's last words to you and quite frankly I think that what he was saying was utter Tauros-shit. You are one of the greatest trainers I have ever seen. Delia and I both know that you were, are and will always be the better trainer than that brat. You know why? It's because you don't force your Pokémon to do what they don't want to. From just seeing you and your Pikachu, I can tell that and your Pokémon love each other dearly and that's what's really important in being a Pokémon trainer._

_Now, I know you're wondering what's in the Ultra Ball right. Well….It's a secret! But seriously, my Ursaring and Primeape had an egg a month ago and two weeks ago it hatched into the Pokémon in the ball. I want you to have him. I know that you've definitely earned it and its to make up for not being in your life as much as I needed to be. I know it's not enough to make up years, but it's something that I know you'll enjoy it._

_Now I know that I've talked too much and if you're anything like me, you'll be headed to another region to compete in their league. Knock them dead son. All I ask is that you do your very best. You do that and I know that you'll take down any obstacle in your way. Whether you win or lose, know that you're always the best to Delia and me. _

_Take care son, and I love you so much._

_ Love,_

_ Charles Ketchum_

By the time Ash finished the letter, he was choking back sobs. He finally learned that his father did love him and was proud of him. He was also making the world a better place by being a Pokémon G-Man. Ash had wanted to know about his father for so long and he finally heard from him. It was like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders and he would never have any doubts about his father again.

"_Thank you dad. And don't worry I'll make sure to win for you and mom and make you guys proud of me." _Ash thought as he put the Ultra Ball on his waist and the letter in his pocket.

"Alright mom, I'm leaving now." Ash said sadly. It always did hurt leaving his mother behind.

"Oh Ashy, take care of yourself! And remember, I love you and always will!" exclaimed a tearful Delia as she embraced Ash lovingly.

"I will mom and I love you too". Ash replied.

With that, Ash left and headed on his way to a place of new beginnings and experience. With the love of his parents as his drive, He sets out to the mysterious Unova, another stop on the road to master.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter. I know I promised Georgia for this chapter but this chapter basically wrote itself. I hope what I've done with Ash's dad is enough consolation.**

**Oh and do you guys like what I've done with Delia? I hope it wasn't too much other there. I wanted to try something different because the plot of this story is overly cliché and I wanted to add something unique to it (well as far as I'm concerned it's unique).  
**

**So enough rambling. So long guys, and stay tuned for Winds of Change Ch.4 - Departure.  
**


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